Fishing is a highly popular pass time, hobby or even career. Some fish are caught by using a hook and live bait, including worms, small bait fish, etc. Lures are available to simulate the many characteristics of live fish to attract larger fish. A lure generally includes a body of some type that has the movement or coloring of bait fish. Attached to the lure is one or more hooks that are intended to catch the larger fish when the lure is ingested. There are a myriad of lures available for attracting certain types of fish. Thus, if a fisherman is interested in catching different types of fish, then a number of different lures are often used.
The marketing of lures is very competitive, in that some lures have a reputation for being successful in catching fish. To that end, many lures are moderately expensive and others are more expensive. Nonetheless, fishermen make every attempt to rescue a lure should it become hooked on an underwater obstruction during casting or fishing. If the hook of a lure becomes lodged in a log or branch under the water, it cannot often be dislodged by maneuvering the fishing line. Sometimes the only alternative is to pull on the line until it breaks, or cut the line, in which event the lure is lost and another one must be purchased.
In the event that the hook of a lure becomes hooked on an underwater obstruction, it is desirable that if anything is lost, it would be the hook and not the lure, as hooks are generally inexpensive and can thus be easily replaced. A lure with a releasable hook is more complex as the mechanism must distinguish between the maneuvering of the line to disengage the hook, as compared to the load placed on the lure when a fish is caught. In the former, the hook should be released from the lure when caught on an obstruction, but not released when hooked in a fish. The fishing line or lure mechanism cannot easily distinguish between the two events.
From the foregoing, it can be seen a need exists for a fishing lure having the capability to distinguish between being hooked on an obstruction, or hooked in a fish, in order to correctly release the hook when desired. Another need exists for a fishing lure that receives an input from the fisherman in order to release the hook from the lure. A further need exists for a fishing lure that responds to a magnetic field for releasing the hook, when the fisherman slides a magnet down the line into proximity with the lure, whereupon the hook is automatically released.